Some household appliances are connected to the household water supply, such as dishwashers, washing machines, standalone icemakers, and refrigerator/freezers with built-in water/ice dispensing. A leak in a water supply line or in the internal plumbing or other components of such an appliance can cause flooding in the house, resulting in significant and expensive property damage.
It is known to sit a washing machine in a conventional drain pan. Such a conventional drain pan typically has a large generally planar floor and four upwardly projecting walls, forming a watertight vessel. Such a drain pan typically has a hole and fitting to connect a drain hose to drain any water in the drain pan to a safe location. Because there are four upwardly projecting walls (which are typically about 1-2 inches high), the washing machine needs to be lifted up and placed into the drain pan.
Such conventional drain pans will not work for appliances that are mounted under a counter, such as dishwashers and standalone icemakers. Such undercounter appliances are installed by sliding the appliance into position under the counter. It is not possible to lift such an appliance into a conventional drain pan that has four upwardly projecting walls.
It is known to install a drip pan or leak pan under an undercounter appliance. Such a drip pan has a large generally planar floor and three upwardly projecting walls (a rear wall and two side walls). Such a drip pan has no front wall to allow the appliance to be slid into position under the counter. Because there is no front wall, the drip pan merely redirects any leaking water to the front of the appliance where it will (hopefully) be noticed before any significant damage occurs. However, if the leaking water is not quickly noticed, significant damage is likely to occur.